Magnetopause Surface Waves at Jupiter and Their Potential Link to Polar Auroral Pulsations
Abstract A surface wave is a mechanical wave propagating along the interface between two media, such as the magnetopause. Planetary magnetopause surface waves influence mass and energy circulation in interplanetary space, magnetospheres, and coupled ionospheres and atmospheres. Although surface waves have been extensively investigated on Earth and Saturn, their characteristics on Jupiter require further investigation. Our analysis of Juno in situ data reveals periodic magnetopause crossings consistent with a large‐scale surface‐wave interpretation. The Doppler‐shifted source‐period range overlaps a 13.7‐min auroral periodicity observed by the Hubble Space Telescope on the same day. This correspondence motivates a hypothesized link between magnetopause surface waves and polar auroral pulsations that remains to be tested with simultaneous observations, field‐line mapping, and precipitation diagnostics. The occurrence of surface waves in Jupiter’s rapidly rotating, strongly magnetized environment further suggests that such waves are a broadly shared feature of planetary magnetospheres and may contribute to energy coupling under diverse conditions.
Authors
- Martin Archer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1556-4573)
- F. Allegrini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0696-4380)
- Binzheng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1555-6023)
- J. E. P. Connerney (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7478-6462)
- Jingnan Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8707-076X)
- Y. B. Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2542-9001)
- William Richard Dunn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0383-6917)
- S. J. Bolton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9115-0789)
- Zhonghua Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6826-2486)
- Enhao Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9044-7735)
- Jian Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7484-401X)
- Z.K. Zeng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9553-8506)
Institutions
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Southwest Research Institute (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK)
- Shandong University (CN)
- Department of Space (IN)
- University College London (GB)
- The University of Texas at San Antonio (US)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- Beihang University (CN)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Geophysical Research Planets
- Published
- 2026-10-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2026je009887
- Primary Topic
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- UK Research and Innovation
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee
- National Key Research and Development Program of China